Shloka 2
कर्णवधप्रसङ्गः / The Context of Karṇa’s Fall
Krishna’s Dharmic Recollection and the Decisive Astra
अजुन उवाच संशप्तकैर्युध्यमानस्य मेडद्य सेनाग्रयायी कुरुसैन्येषु राजन । आशीविषाभान् खगमान् प्रमुज्चन् द्रौणि: पुरस्तात् सहसाभ्यतिष्ठत्,राजन! आज जब मैं संशप्तकोंके साथ युद्ध कर रहा था, उस समय कौरव-सेनाका अगुआ द्रोणपुत्र अश्वत्थामा विषधर सर्पके समान भयंकर बाणोंका प्रहार करता हुआ सहसा मेरे सामने आकर खड़ा हो गया
arjuna uvāca saṁśaptakair yudhyamānasya me dadyau senāgrayāyī kuru-sainyeṣu rājan | āśīviṣābhān khagamān pramuñcan drauṇiḥ purastāt sahasābhyatiṣṭhat ||
Arjuna berkata: “Wahai Raja, ketika aku sedang bertempur dengan kaum Saṁśaptaka, Aśvatthāman—putera Droṇa, pemimpin terdepan di kepala bala tentera Kuru—tiba-tiba berdiri di hadapanku. Sambil melepaskan anak panah yang menggerunkan bagaikan ular berbisa, dia menentangku secara langsung.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights steadiness in one’s duty under sudden escalation: even amid chaotic warfare and vowed enemies, a warrior must keep composure and discernment when confronted by a formidable opponent, acting according to kṣatriya-dharma rather than panic or hatred.
Arjuna reports to the King that while he was fighting the Saṁśaptakas, Aśvatthāman—leading the Kuru vanguard—suddenly appeared before him and attacked fiercely, shooting terrifying arrows compared to venomous serpents.